Hebrews (Program #65) – Being Conformed to the Image of the Firstborn Son by the Working of the Law of Life

The central thought of the whole Bible is “God wants to have many sons for His expression”. Stay tuned today to hear how we can cooperate with God in His wonderful purpose.

Hebrews, though written to an entirely different group of believers, picks up one of the central themes of the book of Romans, and that is, bringing many sons into glory. But, this thought is not just common between these two great books of the new testament; it’s a central thought of the entire divine revelation. Simply, this is God’s great desire and plan for us. It will also be our focus on today’s life study of the Bible.

Near the end of the book of Hebrews, several practical virtues are extolled as they pertain to the practical daily living of the believers. They seem outward and obvious from a casual glance. But, a more critical examination reveals much about both God’s desire and need, as we will see today on the life study of the Bible.

Hebrews (Program #44) – Come Forward to the Holy of Holies and Do Not Shrink Back to Judaism

The call to come forward is a striking element in the book of Hebrews. God’s desire for us is not just to come forward to receive Him for salvation, but we need to live a life of continually coming forward to God in Christ and through the spirit for our daily living. This is our focus today on the life study of the Bible.

The program today is going to begin with a brief review of some of the points that we’ve been covering in our recent broadcasts. Then we are going to launch into an examination of this marvelous phrase that appears at least four times in Hebrews. In the Recovery version, this phrase is translated as “come forward”. It’s really one Greek word but it takes the two words “come forward” to capture the essence of it – and it’s a call from God to His people.

The apostle Paul wrote the books of 1 & 2 Timothy during a period of decline and degradation among the Churches that have been under his ministry. In respond to this negative situation he first laid the foundation for good spiritual health by refocusing them on God’s economy. This is in 1 Timothy 1:4.

Then in Chapter 2 he exhorts Timothy, his faithful co-worker to take the lead in the most crucial area of all in dealing with degraded and trouble situations and that is in the matter of prayer. Listen to 1 Timothy Chapter 2 : 1-3. “I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men; On behalf of kings and all who are in high position, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of our Savior God,“

We all have our own favorite verses throughout the Bible. For many of us, some of our favorite verses are found in pages of the Old Testament. And we tend to avoid the Old Testament often in terms of its bigger meaning because it does seem to be somewhat veiled and obscure. However, the real meaning of all of our verses in the Old Testament match that of the revelation in the New Testament. And, that is that at the heart of God’s desire is an economy. In the life study of Zechariah, God’s economy is summarized: “The center of God’s economy is to have a Body to express Christ. Eventually, this Body will be Christ’s Bride to match Him as His counterpart and to come down to earth with Him to carry out the final step of God’s economy. Today, the world situation is ready for His coming, but the Lord has not yet gained His counterpart. Therefore, He has no way to come back. He is still waiting.”

The Lord revealed to Ezekiel that above all, He desires a place on the earth where He can put the soles of His feet that would also be the place of His throne. In other words, God desires to have a dwelling place, a place of rest and satisfaction; and, a place where He can administrate His heavenly rule and His divine move over the entire earth. This is the real significance of the house of God as revealed to Ezekiel and as revealed to us, the church, which is the reality of the house of God in the New Testament. But after we receive such a high revelation concerning the significance of God’s building, we need a further realization as to the kind of persons that are qualified to serve Him in His house.

Early in his ministry as recorded in chapters 9 and 10, the prophet Ezekiel had seen the glory of Jehovah depart from the temple and even from the earth. It was the gross sin of the people, the abominations, the whoredom, the carcasses and the degradation that caused the Lord’s glory to depart. But after receiving the vision of the completion of the building of the temple in chapter 43, Ezekiel saw another vision. This time a vision of the glory of Jehovah returning to the earth and filling the temple. This is Ezekiel 43:1-5, “Then He brought me to the gate, that is, the gate that faces toward the east. And the glory of the God of Israel was there … and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth was illuminated with His glory. And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, that is, like the vision that I had seen when He came to destroy the city; and the visions were like the vision that I had seen by the river Chebar. And I fell on my face. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house through the gate which faced toward the east. And the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court, and just then the glory of Jehovah filled the house.”

Following the vision of the glory of the Lord filling the house, the Lord had many things to say to Ezekiel as He also does to us concerning His house. Question is, do we have ears to hear and eyes to see the house of God?

What is the characteristic that you most desire in the Church? Would it be a nice Church where you feel comfortable? Or how about I want a victorious Church, full of power? Or how about a spiritual Church with the highest teaching? Well, in Ephesians 5, Paul tells us about the Church that God is seeking.

“Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.”

So, the goal for the Church is not to be good, spiritual, victorious or even powerful. What God is after and what we should be focus on is a glorious Church.

The book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah after he had witnessed the devastation that had befallen on the nation and people of Israel. Altogether he includes five lamentations in this short book. The third of which is perhaps the most important for us, God’s New Testament people because this lamentation is one of the prophets being identified with the rebellious people of God, the apostate nation of Israel. Even though Jeremiah himself had remained utterly faithful to the Lord. Yet because he still was an Israelite, God was demonstrating to him that every true prophet must identify with God’s people even in their chastisement and suffering. But another striking element of this lamentation bears a uniquely New Testament quality and even hints of God’s desire to restore His chosen people, even to impart Himself to the deepest part of their being.

With that in view, now listen closely to Jeremiah’s own words in this third lamentation. “It is Jehovah’s loving-kindness that we are not consumed, For His compassions do not fail;They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Jehovah is my portion, says my soul; Therefore I hope in Him. Jehovah is good to those who wait on Him, To the soul that seeks Him.“

The book of Ephesians presents the highest view in the entire New Testament. The apostle Paul identifies the focus of this book in the very first chapter when he says, “Making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, Unto to the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him;” (Ephesians 1:9-10) This is not a book about improved behavior, how to raise our children or even how to have a successful marriage; yet in one sense, it’s on all these things. But fundamentally this book is altogether dealing with God’s eternal purpose which is according to His good pleasure and on how He is working in the world situation without and more specifically on how He is working within us to bring this purpose into reality.